Thread by @WHO

LIVE NOW: @DrTedros briefing @_AfricanUnion on #COVID19 pscp.tv/w/cSDIBjI2MTAy…

@DrTedros @_AfricanUnion "It’s hard to believe that only 52 days ago, WHO’s country office in #China was notified of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause in Wuhan city"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus

@DrTedros @_AfricanUnion "In just 7 weeks, the #COVID19 outbreak has captured the 🌍’s attention, and rightly so, because it has the potential to cause severe political, social & economic upheaval"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

@DrTedros @_AfricanUnion "As you know, WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern less than a month after the first reported #COVID19 cases, as a result of the signs of human-to-human transmission we saw outside #China"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

@DrTedros @_AfricanUnion "🇨🇳 has now reported 75,569 #COVID19 cases to WHO, including 2239 deaths.
The data from 🇨🇳 continue to show a decline in new cases. This is welcome news, but it must be interpreted very cautiously. It’s far too early to make predictions about this outbreak"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

@DrTedros @_AfricanUnion "Outside 🇨🇳, there are now 1200 cases in 26 countries, with 8 deaths. As you know, there is one confirmed case on the African continent, in 🇪🇬.
Several African countries have tested suspected cases of #COVID19, but fortunately they have been found negative"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

@DrTedros @_AfricanUnion "Although the total number of #COVID19 cases outside #China remains relatively small, we are concerned about the number of cases with no clear epidemiological link, such as travel history to 🇨🇳 or contact with a confirmed case"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

@DrTedros @_AfricanUnion "We are especially concerned about the increase in cases in the Islamic Republic of #Iran, where there are now 18 cases & 4 deaths in just the past two days.

WHO has supplied testing kits to 🇮🇷 & we will continue to provide further support in the coming days & weeks"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @_AfricanUnion "As you know, a WHO-led international team of experts – including a representative from the @NCDCgov – has been on the ground in #China for the past week"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus

@DrTedros @_AfricanUnion @NCDCgov "With every day that passes, we know a little bit more about this #coronavirus & the disease it causes.

We know that more than 80% of patients have mild disease & will recover"-@DrTedros #COVID19

@DrTedros @_AfricanUnion @NCDCgov "20% of patients have severe or critical #COVID19, ranging from shortness of breath to septic shock & multi-organ failure. These patients require intensive care using equipment such as respiratory support machines that are in short supply in many African countries"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @_AfricanUnion @NCDCgov "In 2% of reported cases, the #coronavirus is fatal, and the risk of death increases the older a patient is, and with underlying health conditions.

We see relatively few cases among children. More research is needed to understand why"-@DrTedros #COVID19

@DrTedros @_AfricanUnion @NCDCgov "Our biggest concern continues to be the potential for #COVID19 to spread in countries with weaker health systems.

In partnership with the @AfricaCDC, we’re working hard to prepare countries in Africa for the potential arrival of the virus"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

@DrTedros @_AfricanUnion @NCDCgov @AfricaCDC "We have just appointed Dr @JNkengasong, Director @AfricaCDC & Prof Samba Sow, Director-General of the Center for Vaccine Development in 🇲🇱, as special envoys on #COVID19, to provide strategic advice and high-level political advocacy & engagement in Africa"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

@DrTedros @_AfricanUnion @NCDCgov @AfricaCDC @JNkengasong "We’ve published a Strategic Preparedness & Response Plan, with a call for US$675m to support countries, especially the most vulnerable.

WHO has identified 13 priority countries in Africa because of their direct links to #China or the high volume of travel with 🇨🇳"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @_AfricanUnion @NCDCgov @AfricaCDC @JNkengasong "Increasing number of African countries are now able to test for #COVID19 with laboratory test kits supplied by WHO, compared with only two labs just a couple of weeks ago"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

@DrTedros @_AfricanUnion @NCDCgov @AfricaCDC @JNkengasong "Some countries in Africa, including 🇨🇩, are also leveraging the capacity they have built up to test for #Ebola to test for #COVID19. This is a great example of how investing in health systems can pay dividends for health security"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

@DrTedros @_AfricanUnion @NCDCgov @AfricaCDC @JNkengasong "We’ve also shipped more than 30,000 sets of personal protective equipment to six countries in Africa, and we’re ready to ship almost 60,000 more sets to 19 countries in the coming weeks"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus

@DrTedros @_AfricanUnion @NCDCgov @AfricaCDC @JNkengasong "We’re working with manufacturers of personal protective equipment [PPE] to address the severe disruption in the market for masks, gloves, gowns and other PPE, to ensure we can protect #healthworkers"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus

@DrTedros @_AfricanUnion @NCDCgov @AfricaCDC @JNkengasong "During the past month about 11,000 African #healthworkers have been trained using WHO’s online courses on #COVID19, which are available free of charge in English, French & other languages at OpenWHO.org"-@DrTedros #coronavirus

@DrTedros @_AfricanUnion @NCDCgov @AfricaCDC @JNkengasong "We’re also providing advice to countries on how to do screening, testing, contact tracing & treatment.
Last week we brought the intl. research community together to identify research priorities, especially in the areas of diagnostics, therapeutics & vaccines"-@DrTedros #COVID19

@DrTedros @_AfricanUnion @NCDCgov @AfricaCDC @JNkengasong "2 weeks ago I briefed @UN SG @antonioguterres & we agreed to activate the UN Crisis Management Team, led by @DrMikeRyan, to enable WHO to focus on the health response while other agencies bring their expertise to bear on the other implications of the #COVID19 outbreak"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @_AfricanUnion @NCDCgov @AfricaCDC @JNkengasong @UN @antonioguterres @DrMikeRyan "We have also held two calls with @UN resident coordinators all over the world, to brief them on the actions they can take to prepare their countries and ensure the United Nations system is working as one"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus

@DrTedros @_AfricanUnion @NCDCgov @AfricaCDC @JNkengasong @UN @antonioguterres @DrMikeRyan "The increasing signs of transmission outside #China show that the window of opportunity we have for containing this #coronavirus is narrowing.

We are calling on all countries to invest urgently in preparedness"-@DrTedros #COVID19

@DrTedros @_AfricanUnion @NCDCgov @AfricaCDC @JNkengasong @UN @antonioguterres @DrMikeRyan "I assure you that WHO is committed to working with all African countries to do everything we can to prevent transmission, and detect and treat cases as early as possible"-@DrTedros #COVID19 #coronavirus

@DrTedros @_AfricanUnion @NCDCgov @AfricaCDC @JNkengasong @UN @antonioguterres @DrMikeRyan The full briefing on #COVID19 preparedness in Africa by @DrTedros 👇
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